Sidewalk modification tutorial for the Lumibricks/FunWhole Gelato Store F9078

 

Hey brick fans!

I just recently built and reviewed the Lumibricks/FunWhole Gelato Store set and it was definitely unique and interesting in it's construction.  It has all the similarities of a traditional modular building but it can also be unfolded so that the entire exterior and interior can be displayed dollhouse fashion.

As you can see from the above picture, the Gelato store is comprised of three different levels, all of which can be separated.  The ground floor is the gelato store, the second floor provides seating for the patrons and the rooftop is a garden/artist retreat.   The sidewalk is an extra piece that clips into the building while it's in it's modular form.

Alternatively, the gelato store is hinged such that it can be opened to maximize the visibility of it's exterior and interior spaces.  This method allows easier access to the rich interior details and facilitates play.

There is one drawback though.  When it's time to open up the Gelato store for interior access, sidewalk removal is not so straightforward.  In fact, it's a bit of a struggle to switch between modular building mode and dollhouse mode because of said sidewalk piece.

The Issue

Herein lies the problem.  Above I've taken some screenshots of the instruction manual that shows you the sidewalk attachment process.  From the first picture (ie pg 202), there are a total of four connection points  as depicted by the dark gray studs at the front of the building.  The sidewalk is then slid into place and tiles are then placed on top of those connection points to secure it as shown in the bottom pic (ie pg 204).

To switch to dollhouse mode, you have to remove four or more tiles to disengage the sidewalk piece, so that the building can be unhinged.  A further complication is that the leftmost connecting tile is placed immediately under the doorstep, meaning that piece has to be removed as well.  All of this limits the immediacy and excitement of play.

The Fix

I wanted to retain the ability of sidewalk attachment but make it quicker and easier to remove it or add it back.   I decided that the four connection points was excessive and the same thing could be accomplished using only two connection points.  Also I didn't want to remove the doorstep each time.

My solution involves reworking some of the tile placement on the sidewalk and at the front of the building.  Specifically, I wanted to eliminate the connection points at the far right and far left of the sidewalk, ie the 2x3 tiles near the front door and the nearest the bench.

While I was figuring out how to arrange the sidewalk tiles, I realized I should also place some studs to allow the set's four minifigures to be displayed as well.

To make the fixes, I used a handful of extra spare tiles consisting of some:

1x1 tiles, 1x2 tiles, 1x3 tiles, 1x4 tiles, 2x2 tiles and some studded plates including a modified 4x4 plate.

I recognize that not everyone will have the exact tiles I have so hopefully you can use whatever you have on hand to redo the sidewalk.  The objective is to keep as much of the original sidewalk design intact but just alter it enough to provide the two connection points and the mounting studs for the display of the minifigures.

Step One

The first objective is to eliminate the two connection points previously occupied by the 2x3 tiles on both sides of the building  by two 1x3 pieces.

Here's the door side.  Notice the grill piece under the black column details.  I've repositioned it from it's original location.  The two studs below it will be one of the new connection points.

Similarly, we have replaced the 2x3 tile with a 1x3 tile at the edge of the baseplate.  And the grill piece moved under the black column defining the other connection point below it.

After a bit of tile rearrangement, here is the look of my modified sidewalk.  As you can see from the picture above, the mount points for the railing, table and two chairs, as well as the balcony theatre signpost have been retained.  The mount point for the ice cream structure has been shifted a bit.   Additionally I have relocated and added some studded plates for minifigure display.  Of course, you can adjust the stud placement to your own liking.   The most important detail to note is the two gray studded connection points that will line up between the sidewalk and the building.  

After you are happy with the tile arrangement of your sidewalk, slide it back towards the gelato store.

Place two 2x2 tiles on top of the connection points (located next to the grill pieces).

Return the accessory pieces back to the sidewalk, ie. the doorstep, railing, table and chairs.

And the ice cream fixture and sign post.

Attach the minifigures as desired!

Now to switch into dollhouse mode, simply lift up on the sidewalk and it should come right off.  To return to modular building mode, again just slide the sidewalk up against the building and snap the two 2x2 tiles back into place.

Hopefully this fix to the sidewalk makes it more convenient and enjoyable to play with and display the Lumibricks/FunWhole Gelato store!

Thanks for looking, bye!

#lumibricks #gelatostore #lumibricksmoc

I added a tilting cab to the Aliexpress Fire Truck MOC-156284

Hey brick fans!

I've got a handful of Lego compatible fire trucks in my collection from brands such as Kazi, Gudi and Wange.  While that's all and good, they are mostly European style fire trucks and what I really need is a North American style fire truck for my Not Lego city.  

Luckily there's quite a few fire truck MOCs on Aliexpress, and mostly 8 stud wide trucks, however I've decided I want all the vehicles in my city to be only 6 studs wide.  So that narrows the choices of fire trucks I can find on Aliexpress.  There was one model that caught my eye, it was listed as MOC-156284.

It just happened to be towards the end of the  Aliexpress 11.11 sale, and there were some special discount coupons being offered up, so I was able to buy it for just under $22 CDN.  When I last checked the item is now sold out by the vendor, although the fire truck is still being  sold by other Aliexpress vendors at differing price points.

It took about two weeks for the Fire Truck to arrive via Aliexpress, so not bad in terms of shipping.

The parts arrived in a blue zipper bag, which then yielded another ziplock bag.  That ziplock bag contained three more ziplock bags, none of which were numbered.

The instructions were printed on a sheet of paper, back and front and were ridiculously small.  I think one would need a magnifying glass to read each step.  Fortunately, the package included a QR code which when scanned provided instructions in PDF format which could be downloaded.

Alright, so I just opened all of the bags and sorted the parts by colour.  According to the listing, there are 422 pieces.  Ok, let's build!

And it's done!  It's a fairly decently designed model and looks very nice.  However, when I placed it next to my other fire trucks, it felt kind of small, even though all of them were 6 studs wide.  I think the length of the model is alright, but the truck doesn't feel tall enough.

I also didn't like the white wheels that came with the truck so I swapped in a set of gray spoke wheels instead.

There's still quite a nice bit of detail on this fire truck though.

Lots of emergency lights in the back.

Nice view of the front of the cab. The mirrors and door handles are a nice touch.

Firefighting equipment and tools can be found in the four opening storage units.

Up top, there is the directional nozzle for the simulated water hoses.

One thing I forgot to take pictures of while I was building, was the cab's interior. It consists of a steering wheel and 4 seats.  I tried to place a minifigure inside the cab, but there wasn't enough headroom for him to sit properly.  The model's design doesn't allow for the roof to come off.

So I added a row of flat bricks and voila, we now have a removable canopy.  At best, we can only fit two firefighters into the narrow cabin, one behind the other, and for them to be placed inside, you have to remove the minifigure's legs.

(image source: https://ebhfd.wordpress.com/about/)

In researching real fire engines on the internet, I came across some pics of fire trucks with their cabs tilted up for engine access. How cool is that?   And then I figured someone already did this to one of their Lego fire trucks, so I searched. and searched, and came up with nothing.  Zip, zero, nada.   If anyone reading this knows of  somebody that tilted their fire engine cabin, I'd love to see how they did theirs.

So here's mine!

The pole is just temporary to hold up the cab.

Obviously I couldn't fit a diesel engine in such a small space, so maybe the fire truck is electrified and underneath is the battery pack.

If you look closely, I had to redesign the entire front of the cab to allow for hinge placement.  There you have it,  hopefully anyone who is searching one day for a Lego fire truck with tilting cabin, will end up on this blog post!

Please let me know what you think of my fire truck mods!  Thanks for looking!   Bye

How to Make a MILS baseplate for my modular buildings (updated)

 

Hey brick fans,

Today's topic will be about MILS plates.  I've already discussed making MILS plates specifically for my Lumibricks sets, but this blog entry will be more generic and the you can you use it for any type of modular building.   

What Are MILS Plates?

MILS stands for Modular Integrated Landscaping System, a community-driven standard (originally from the HispaBrick Magazine folks) for creating huge, interconnected LEGO dioramas. At its core, a MILS plate is a 16x32 or 32x32 stud baseplate reinforced with bricks underneath for stability—think of it as a sturdy foundation module.  MILS plates add an extra layer to the base of your modular buildings to provide rigidity and stability.  It makes it easier to handle the modular buildings with the base flexing on you.

Advantages of Using MILS Plates

Enhanced Stability and Portability: The underlying brick support turns flimsy baseplates into rigid units that stack, transport easily, and hold heavy structures (like multi-story buildings) without sagging.

How My Version differs from others

The standard MILS system allows you to connect one baseplate to another so that the modular buildings are locked together using technic pins.  Since I'm always redoing my city layouts and moving buildings around I decided to forego that system.

My version of MILS plate uses the minimum amount of bricks while maximizing the structural integrity of the modular building.

We start with your standard 32x32 single sided baseplate.  This one might already come with your modular building set.  If not these plates can be found for under $2 CDN on Temu/Aliexpress or Dollar Tree.

Next grab a bunch of 2x4 bricks, 9 pieces to be exact.

Place the 9 pieces of 2x4 bricks spaced at the corners and center points along the baseplate.

Now I grab a bunch of 2x2 square or round (it doesn't matter).

These bricks provide intermediate support along the edges and center of the plates we will be using next.  We need 16 of them arranged specifically as above.

This step is optional, but it's what I use to attach the front facade on my MILS plates.  You need 3 of the bricks that are 2x2 with studs on the side. You'll also need 3 pieces of 1x2 plates and put them on top of the 2x2 bricks

Where I place these three bricks determine my front elevation. You can skip this step if you like and just place some extra bricks to line the front of the baseplate.

Now you will need 4 pieces of 16x16 plates. I typically cover up my plates with tiles so the colour doesn't matter to me. if you don't plan on making sidewalks in front of your modular building, just use the same coloured plates.

Press the 16x16 plates firmly down onto the bricks.  Note how the plates attach in relation to the bricks underneath.

Adding the two remaining 16x16 plates finishes off the raised baseplate.  

But we're going a step further by placing a front facade on the MILS plate.  To do this you will need two pieces of 2x16 plates.

Next grab 16 pieces of 2x2 tile and snap them onto the 2x16 plates.

Snap those onto the protruding studs on the MILS plate.  Now you have a finished facade.  So why is this facade necessary for my builds?  It's purpose to to hide the underlying colour of bricks and plates used to create the MILs.  Without the facade, I would be forced to use all the same colour for the bricks and plates, but with the front covered I can use whatever plates and bricks I have on hand even if they are different colours.

Here's one of my older pictures of my modular buildings.  You can see I used different coloured plates underneath the sidewalk tiles, which doesn't provide a cohesive look when you are placing different modular buildings together.

This MILs system will also work on a smaller modular building, say one that sits on a 16x32 baseplate.  Just adjust the amount of bricks and plates needed accordingly.

Hope that this little tutorial has helped you with your own modular building setups.   Thanks for looking!